It wasn't 'the big one,' but Wednesday's snow most in nearly three years

EVANSVILLE - Only time will tell if Wednesday morning's snowstorm will join Evansville's list of memorable winter weather events, alongside such notables as the January 1978 blizzard and the pre-Christmas storm of 2004.

But the 10.7 inches of snow measured by a National Weather Service spotter in Vanderburgh County on Wednesday, if confirmed, would be the third-highest total for a single day since the agency started keeping that statistic in 1948. It trails only the 2004 storm, which dumped 19.2 inches, and the February 1993 storm, which produced 11 inches.

And it will be one of only six storms in that period to produce at least eight inches of snow in a single day for an area that sees, on average, just 14.2 inches of snow in a given winter.

But it may be remembered for a couple of novelties. Unlike many winter storms in the Tri-State, there was no blanket effect for the entire region. The snow totals on the West Side of Evansville were, in places, double what they were on parts of the East Side.

Residents have a tightly wound storm system with embedded "thundersnow" bands to thank for the dramatic differences. The deep low pressure system, which brought severe thunderstorms to the South, was strong enough that the atmosphere was well-charged even in the colder northern areas. The areas where residents heard thunder overhead during the snowstorm often saw heavier amounts.

The other anomaly: It's been a while since the city of Evansville saw anything other than a dusting of snow.

The last time Evansville recorded more than an inch of snow? Jan. 20, 2011 — 707 days before Wednesday's storm.

The last "big" snow, a 5-inch storm, occurred on Jan. 30, 2010, a 1,062-day gap.